Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) will kick-off a tourism campaign to attract cruise liners to the port for 2023/24 in the coming year. The number of cruise ships due to arrive at the port in 2023 is expected to triple from the 2022 numbers.
CEO of HIPG, Johnson Liu said, “Looking at the prevailing global trends, we see an increase in routes kicking-off from the Middle East and concluding in the Far East. Hambantota, therefore, is an attractive destination in the chain of ports being marketed on the cruise ship packages as it offers a unique experience.
“The instant you land in HIP, you can see greenery and no built-up area, unlike most other ports. Many visiting crews of vessels have noted that the port is well organised, green and clean, which they find to be a significant advantage.
“A second attraction is that one can see and experience a lot in just half a day, thanks to organised tours. We also intend to set up duty free shopping opportunities for tourists visiting the port. We are well positioned to actively promote HIP as a cruise ship destination,” he said.
Captain of the ‘Azamara Quest’ Johannes Tysse said the Hambantota International Port was clean, organised, structured and much better than many other ports they’ve been to.
This year two cruise ships berthed at the Hambantota International Port. While the ‘Mein Schiff 5’ was on a 46-day cruise from Dubai to Singapore visiting several ports in Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, the ‘Azamara Quest’ was on a two-week cruise from Dubai to Singapore, and called in Mumbai, Cochin, Colombo, and went on to Aceh in Indonesia. Prudential Shipping are the ship agents for ‘Azamara Quest’.
Visitors to Hambantota can experience organised tours to Yala, Bundala, Hambantota Botanical Garden, Ridiyagama Safari, Bird’s Park, Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort and Spa, City tours of Hambantota, Kataragama, Mulkirigala, Udawalawe wildlife park and historic Buddhist temples. They can also have myriad experiences of beaches in Tangalle, Hambantota and Galle and even go up to Ella.